FATAL stabbings have reached record levels with 277 murders last year according to preliminary figures - that's five every week.

The highest increase was in Lancashire where 13 people died from knife injuries according to the police, compared to four in the previous year.

Greater Manchester bucked the trend with the number of stabbing fatalities falling from 12 to 11. In Cheshire the number also fell - from three to two. The stark statistics, which have still to be confirmed, have been released by police forces across England and Wales following a request by the Tories under the Freedom of Information Act. They cover between April 2007 and April 2008 and are thought to be the highest since records began 30 years ago.

Increase

They surpass the previous record of 265 in 2002-2003. The death toll for 2006-2007 was 258. The highest increase was recorded in Lancashire where there were 13 fatal stabbings - a rise of 225 per cent from the previous year's four. That sees it overtake Greater Manchester where the numbers dropped eight per cent from 12 to 11. Elsewhere Northumbria and West Yorkshire recorded 50 per cent rises (from ten to 15) and London (68 to 86) 26 per cent. The figures were obtained by the Tories under freedom of information laws. Shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire, said: "Knife crime is a scourge which claims too many lives and ruins countless others.

Soared

"Yet under Labour it has soared. The Government's only response is short term, ad-hoc police operations, the results of which they spin and manipulate anyway to try and get a good story. 2009 must herald a new approach. Combating knife crime requires concerted action in the long and short term, not just spin. As well as deploying our police onto the streets as the norm we would introduce an automatic presumption of jail for knife possession - this may be harsh but it is absolutely necessary.

"We must also address the underlying causes of crime - like drugs, family breakdown and gang culture. These are issues that Labour have ignored for eleven years but which undermine all our other efforts to combat knife crime."

Release

The figures may change before their official release in the New Year if the police or the courts decide some homicides should be reclassified. But the raw data is likely to reignite the debate about Government efforts to crack down on knife crime. The figures were released from all but one force, Bedfordshire. A spokesman for Cheshire police said they were 'pleased' at the drop. She added: "We'd like to be in a position where the figure is zero."

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Seabridge, from GMP, said the force was committed to tackling knife crime. He said: "I would also reassure people that we are doing everything they can to prevent knife crime by targeting those who carry these weapons. We will continue to work hard with our communities and our partners to make Greater Manchester a safer place to live and visit."